Cologne Cathedral
default
Cologne Cathedral
default
Cologne Cathedral
God’s first order was to create light where there was darkness. It wasn’t until the fourth day that he made the sun, a detail that has led people to interpret light as an extension of God himself. It is only fitting, then, that the Cologne Cathedral makes a virtue of illumination with a new exterior lighting system that amplifies the Gothic building’s striking presence from the twilight hours onward.
Prior to its renovation, the cathedral was lit with HQI floodlights mounted on the roofs of neighbouring buildings, bathing the entire structure in a neutral white glow. While this traditional approach offered high perceptibility, it led to significant light pollution in the surrounding area (and that’s not to mention the energy required to light such a massive building).
The updated scheme, courtesy of Berlin firm Licht Kunst Licht, instead embraces an ethos of “light follows architecture,” leveraging surface-mounted LED fixtures for more precise, targeted illumination. Most impressively, not a single hole was drilled into the historic facade. Without access to the original building plans, this feat was only made possible through interdisciplinary collaboration. The team conducted empirical facade studies, extensive on-site testing of optics and positions, and developed non-invasive mounting solutions with conservation experts to ensure the project’s technical and cultural ambitions were aligned.
The final design uses over 700 compact luminaires mounted with custom clamps and brackets, ensuring minimal visibility and impact to the heritage stonework; bespoke poles integrate both facade and circulation lighting. The system can be fully dimmed and tuned from 2700 to 3000K to adapt for events, the changing seasons and ecological needs (with a reduced energy consumption of 80 per cent). In this way, the architectural details, rather than the light sources, remain the focus. The effect is particularly striking in the 157-metre-high towers, where interior fixtures shine through the filigree Gothic tracery against a backdrop of soft backlighting. Remarkable in its restraint, the result can only be described as divine.
Team: Philipp Schmitz, Stephan Thiele, Andreas Schulz and Thomas Möritz (Licht Kunst Licht); Kölner Dombauhütte, Metropolitankapitel der Hohen Domkirche zu Köln; Elektro Baeth GmbH
